


The Innocent Victim

by Otter_Love_ASL



Series: Awarenesses One-Shots [2]
Category: Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: Childhood Cancer Awarness, Gen, death of a child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:01:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26364601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Otter_Love_ASL/pseuds/Otter_Love_ASL
Summary: Platt volunteers our two favorite detectives to volunteer their time at the pediatric oncology floor at Med. Do they get too close and get hurt in the process? September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month "Awareness One-Shot"
Relationships: Jay Halstead & Hailey Upton, Jay Halstead & Will Halstead
Series: Awarenesses One-Shots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1917124
Comments: 5
Kudos: 23





	The Innocent Victim

**Author's Note:**

> Someone please help me. If I want to put the one-shots in one place should I use the collection or series function? I'm somewhat new and can't really tell what is best/what the difference is

"You know, I thought that this would be worse than it has been," Jay tells his partner as they climb into his truck.

"But you're doing okay?" Hailey questions.

"Is anyone?" he answers her question with another question.

"Your place or mine?" Hailey asks knowing Jay needs to do their thing that works.

"Is Vanessa going to be home?"

"She shouldn't be, but I never know. She comes and goes for the most part."

"Mine," he answers turning in the direction that will take him to his apartment building.

* * *

Jay goes into his kitchen and grabs two beers before walking over to where Hailey settled herself on his couch.

"Thanks," Hailey thanks her partner when he hands her the beer. She waits until her partner also sits down before asking, "What's going through your head right now?" knowing that what Platt has them doing can't be easy for Jay.

"They're so young," Jay tells her absently.

"I know."

"They don't deserve it. No one does."

"You don't have to keep doing this. Platt just said two from our unit had to go. I can bring Kevin with me next time."

"No, I promised Caden I would be back."

"You really connected with him?"

"He's a good kid. He wants to be a cop when he's older."

"He seems tough, strong," Hailey comments.

"He is. This is his second relapse. Kid's been fighting for his whole life. He was diagnosed when he was three weeks old. This is all he knows," Jay tells her.

"How old is he now? Six?"

"Just turned seven. Apparently, all the chemo and radiation they tried on him is affecting his growth," Jay replies sadly.

"How are you doing with this?" Hailey questions. "Will told me that your mom died from cancer."

"What?" Jay asks shocked.

"You were acting off and I was worried. It was around the anniversary of her death. I wasn't going to say anything unless you came to me. But, really- how are you? I can't imagine that this is easy."

"These kids are so much stronger than any of us," Jay tells her.

"They are," Hailey agrees, sensing that he doesn't want to talk about it."

The two partners finish their beers in silence, thinking about all the kids that suffer from this terrible disease.

* * *

"Got a hot date?" Ruzek questions when he notices Jay can't stop watching the clock while they are finishing with the paperwork for their most recent case that they closed.

"No. I just have plans," Jay tells him.

"What's so important that you have to be looking at the clock every five minutes?"

"I just have somewhere I need to go."

"So, you're not coming to Molly's with us to celebrate closing the case?"

"No, sorry."

"I can't either," Hailey adds. "I have that thing that Platt volunteered me for."

"Okay," Adam gives in, not wanting to get on Platt's bad side.

* * *

"Detective Jay," a familiar voice yells.

"Hey, Kaden," Jay greets back.

"Did you get more bad guys?" Caden asks, walking up to Jay, dragging his IV pole with him.

"Yeah, a lot of them."

"What did they do?"

"Um, they made some really bad choices and were hurting a lot of people," Jay answers.

"Look what I made you," Caden changes the subject, showing Jay a picture that he drew.

"This is great, Buddy."

"It's you saving the city," Caden tells Jay.

"I think that this would look great on my desk at work, what do you think?" Jay asks the small boy.

"Yeah!" he agrees excitedly.

Caden then drags Jay to a corner to play a game with him.

* * *

"Jay, what's that?" Kim questions when she sees the drawing on his desk.

"A kid I know gave it to me," Jay answers.

"Cool," Kevin answer also hearing the explanation.

"Did you meet them on a case?" Kim asks.

"No, on the detail that Platt volunteered me for."

"I guess something good came from that," Adam states.

* * *

Jay and Hailey walk the familiar path to the pediatric oncology floor of Med one week after their last visit.

The floor looks the same as it had been for the past several weeks, but the atmosphere felt heavy. The two detectives sensing right away that something wasn't right when they walked into the playroom.

The parents looked sad, but trying to hide it from their children– it did not escape the detectives.

The children looking sad.

And the nurses trying to keep the kids distracted.

Looking around, Jay can't find his little friend. "Hey, is Caden coming today?" he asks when he is able to grab the nurse's attention.

The nurse looks at him for a moment before answering, "Caden passed away early this morning," she tells him sadly.

"What?" Jay asks in disbelief. "He was fine a week ago."

"I shouldn't be telling you this, but he got really sick a few days ago. His little body couldn't fight anymore."

Jay's heart feels like it dropped into his stomach. In shock, Jay rushes out of the room, just needing to getaway.

Hailey sees her partner in distress and excuses herself to find him. Hailey searches the whole floor with no luck.

Deciding to bite the bullet, she goes down to the ED, hoping that there's a slim chance that he sought out his older brother.

* * *

"Will," Hailey calls out spotting the red-headed doctor.

"Hailey? Is Jay okay?" Will asks worriedly.

"I don't– physically he's fine, but I don't know where he is or if he's okay."

"What happened?"

"I don't know what Jay told you, but Platt had us volunteering with the kids in the pediatric oncology floor here. Jay got close with one of the kids and I think the kid died today."

"Okay, I'll help you find him," Will offers before flagging down Maggie.

"What's up, Dr. Halstead?" the charge nurse asks.

"I need you to get someone to cover for me for a little bit." Maggie goes to ask a question, but Will interrupts her, "Jay disappeared and I want to make sure he's okay."

"What happened?"

"He bolted and now I can't find him," Hailey answers.

"Okay," Maggie answers hesitantly but knowing better than to get between Will and his brother.

* * *

"Do you really think he's in here?" Hailey asks as they enter the church chapel. "He never reminded me as the religious type."

"No, but our mom was. And it doesn't hurt to look."

The two enter the chapel, quietly searching for Jay. Walking around, they find many people, but not the missing detective.

"Come on, I have another idea," Will tells her as they exit the chapel.

* * *

Hailey follows Will through several hallways and a few stairwells until they wind up on the roof of the hospital.

Walking on to the roof, Will and Hailey spot Jay sitting on the ground, back against the wall. His legs are bent touching his chest and his arms wrapped around them, chin on his knees.

"Jay?" Hailey calls softly, not wanting to startle him.

"Hailey?" he questions wiping at his eyes, wanting to discard any evidence of tears.

"Yeah, it's me and Will."

"Hey, Buddy."

"Hey."

"Come on, let's get you inside. It's freezing out here."

"I don't want to see anyone."

"You don't have to. But I want to get you inside before you get sick. My shift is over in an hour, you can hang out in the doctor's lounge until then, and then I can take you home."

Jay looks to Hailey, "I can take your truck back to your place and then have Vanessa pick me up. Come on, inside. I'm not taking care of you if you get sick. You're an ass when you're sick."

Jay nods and takes Will's offered hand.

* * *

"Can you get him coffee or something hot to drink?" Will asks Hailey while forcing Jay onto the couch.

"Yeah."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Will asks when Hailey leaves.

Jay shakes his head no.

"Okay, I get off in an hour, and then we can leave. Sound good?"

"Yeah," he quietly whispers.

* * *

A week later, Jay is sitting in a church, at a funeral service for a seven-year-old.

Jay listens to the priest talk, but all he can think about is how unfair it is for a child to die from such a cruel disease.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month or Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
> 
> Here are some facts about childhood cancer (In the United States):
> 
> 1) Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer of children in the US.
> 
> 2) Every two minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer. That's 300,000 around the world every year.
> 
> 3) The most common childhood cancer is Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).
> 
> 4) In 80% of kids with cancer, the cancer has already spread to other areas of the body by the time it was diagnosed.
> 
> 5) Much of what we know about treating adult cancer has been learned from childhood cancer research.
> 
> 6) There are over a dozen types of childhood cancer and hundred of different subtypes.
> 
> 7) Each day, 43 kids in the US are expected to be diagnosed with cancer.
> 
> 8) Of the BILLIONS of dollars the government spends annually on cancer research ONLY 4% is directed towards treating childhood cancer.
> 
> 9) One in five children diagnosed with cancer in the US will not survive.


End file.
